Cage

How long do I leave the cage soaking in bleach water?

My hammie is at the vet right now getting treated for wet-tail and I am disinfecting her cage. My question is how long do I leave the cage soaking in the bleach and water mix? And then afterwards do I wash it with soap and water?

Public Comments

1. Don't forget to disinfect the toys and feeder/food bowls/water dish also. 30 minutes should be long enough. I like the Clorox spray bottle, it is more concentrated bleach and you know you are killing the germs. Good luck!
2. Ten minutes in bleach water should kill all the germs. After that, just rinse it really well with fresh clean water and let it sit until it is dry. The chlorine will evaporate.
3. Twenty minutes. If you haven't yet washed it with soap and water, then do so. Rinse very,very well. Let air dry. And remember that if you can smell the bleach on the cage, so can the hamster! This is toxic to the hamster! Keep rinsing. I always washed my cages with soap and water and then, used a solution of half plain water and half regular vinegar in a spray bottle, sprayed on the cage afterward and, wiped dry with paper towels. Vinegar is a natural sanitizer and will not harm the hamsters.
4. No use enviromental friendly soap unless your pet might lick it. It could make your pet very sick. Normally hamsters get wet-tail from a pet store or if the cage is wet if your hammies a baby it needs to be totally dry or it will get wet tail.
5. Around 10-30 Min. depending on how much bleach you used. And make sure you rinse off ALL the bleach!!! I hope your hammy gets better.
6. its 1tablespoon for every gallon of water in a spray bottle and TWO MINUTES is all you need to disinfect!! be sure to rinse well so hammy doesn't get sick from accidental poisoning. a safer alternative is PEROXIDE and VINEGAR. put the peroxide in a spray bottle (keep in dark place when not in use) and spray the cage down and wait 2 minutes. then spray down with vinegar and wait another 2 minutes. of course i would hope that you washed the cage well with soap first to get rid of all the grime off the cage first. after doing the peroxide and vinegar rinse well with water. ( i use a half tablespoon more then i should of bleach) anyhow this is how i clean my cages
7. Soaking for at least 15 minutes is recommended. Be sure you allow to air dry, bleach is harmless after it completely air dries, you can rinse after if it makes you feel better. Although people are saying to use soap, do not. Soap leaves a residue that can be poisonous to the hamster if not washed out completely. Bleach is the most effective and safest method of cleaning anything.